Through the Phone
by AmarillosAmpharos
Summary: Two years have passed since Shinichi regained his original body, but now, he and Heiji face a new challenge. How will they break their relationship to their two closest friends? ::Series::
1. Through the Phone: Chapter I

"Oy Kudo! Not picking up your phone, getting cold feet already? Mah, whatever, just make sure you bring your ass to Osaka like you promised, neh? Love ya!"

Kudo chuckled, as the machine rattled off the time and date of the message, he'd just missed his call. He got held up by Ran, who forced him to stay behind and help her clean. He sighed and moved to the bathroom, deciding on a shower before he called Heiji back.

His mind wondered as he showered, him and Heiji had talked about it to some length. Telling their childhood friends about their relationship, but it was just a small stepping stone at best. They worried, equally so, about losing their best friends. He had played in his mind all the responses he might get from Ran and none of them were pleasant. He knew Heiji had thought the same, and reached an equally unpleasant end.

It'd been 2 years since he'd gotten his body back and their relationship had sky rocketed. No longer did they have to sneak around and worry about Heiji slipping out his name. Ran had taken the whole "Conan" deal rather well, in fact she understood his concerns quite clearly. She just seemed happy to see him again, and admittedly, he was really glad to be back in his own body and grade.

He wondered out of the shower, the towel draped lazily over his head, as he picked up his phone dialing Heiji's number. He listened to it ring, and imagined what Heiji was doing at that instant. Many times through the day did he wonder in almost vivid detail what Heiji was doing. What was he talking about, thinking about, feeling, seeing, hearing, every aspect of Heiji's day fascinated him. The train of thought was interrupted when Kazuha picked up, startling him,

"Hello?" she demanded irritably.

Kudo could only imagine the horrors Heiji must have been putting the girl through, having experienced only a few himself.

"Ah, Kazuha, is He...Hattori in?" he corrected himself quickly.

"Yeah, he's acting weird though, cleaning the house from top to bottom, freak" she said the pout evident in her voice.

"It's not weird!" he heard Heiji yelling in the background, possibly from the bathroom, it was right next to the phone after all.

"It's weird for you! Just because Kudo's coming doesn't mean you have to clean so thoroughly!" she snapped "Never clean for me when I visit" she murmured.

Kudo bit his lip a bit, for Heiji to clean suddenly was rather odd, in fact it was down right out of place. One could easily argue it was because a friend was coming over, and he didn't want his place to be viewed as messy. Though Kazuha was irritated by the fact, which meant she was suspicious about something. Though he felt confident, that even in her wild imagination, she couldn't fathom what was really going on.

"Neh, Kudo" Kazuha whispered to him,

"Hm?" he wondered back curiously

"Are you bringing some girl to meet Heiji?" she demanded of him secretly.

"No, it's just me, Ran has to catch up on her studies so she passed" He told her honestly.

"Then what could be going on...?" she wondered softly mostly to herself, "Well get here soon Kudo! Here's Heiji!" she said sweetly and passed the receiver over to her tanned friend.

"Yo! Kudo!" he breathed out, slightly out of breath from his intensive cleaning "Kazuha giving you a hard time?" he teased the girl and was rewarded with a flat stare.

Kudo chuckled nervously, more like putting him through the ringer.

"She's been bugging me all day wondering if I have a girl coming over" Heiji halfheartedly complained. "I told her it was just you, but isn't it normal to clean when guests are coming?" he asked him curiously.

"For you, I'd say not so much, but I guess even you have some pride" Kudo teased him, Heiji eyed the receiver.

"Don't you start too Kudo" he said going along with it, "What time will you be at the station? I'll pick you up!" He asked happily.

"Should be about two-thirty" Kudo said thoughtfully.

"Great! See you then!" Heiji said excitedly and hung up.

Kudo hung up gently, and sighed this wasn't going to be pretty.

The train to Osaka was thankfully not as packed as he'd expected, luckily for him it was a Sunday and the holiday week was coming up. He leaned against the window gently staring out at the scenery as it past in a green blur. He had some time to think now, how were they going to break things to Kazuha?

She was obviously going to be upset, like Ran, it was obvious to see she had deep feelings for Heiji. They'd entertained every possibility, even going as far as discussing a temporary break-up. The idea was his, now that he was thinking back on it, it was an extremely stupid one on his behalf. He recalled that it set Heiji off in a sudden fury. He'd made the grand mistake of calling what they had "the effects of circumstance". He defended such a conclusion by the fact that, beside the Professor, his parents, and Haibara, Heiji was the only one he felt closest too at the time.

He closed his eyes, he could still see the look in Heiji's eye, that was a day to remember. He opened his eyes again, they had small spats, but that day was the biggest fight they'd had yet. He knew that it wouldn't be the last, but he could hope to some degree that they wouldn't happen often. Despite being rather similar, they were quite different in many aspects. He fancied that's what made them such great friends, and even better lovers.

Heiji was much more impulsive than he was, which that kind of energy was addicting and infectious. He found at times when he was being particularly impulsive, it reminded him of Heiji. It made him feel good to know that his lover was rubbing off on him in a way that was good. Likewise, he was a lot more level headed than Heiji, he entertained the idea that maybe Heiji caught himself being unusually pensive and calm, maybe the same was true for Heiji.

He smiled, and noticed his reflection in the window, he had never thought when he was young he'd be in such a position. He always thought he'd grow up, marry Ran, and they'd have children. As he got older, the desire to marry and reproduce faded, replaced by his burning desire to be a detective. Ran lost her appeal as a suitable life partner, and was more enjoyable as a friend.

He then thought maybe Haibara was a more suitable match, after all she was female and rather intelligent. He chuckled, he tried to develop feelings for her, but he couldn't force his heart. He then began to think of his perfect woman, what woman he'd like to find. He couldn't really think of one, physically some were appealing, but he just lacked the emotional attachment. The idea of entering into a long term relationship with any woman left him feeling strangely apathetic.

He sighed, he finally came around to the fact that he had no real interest in women. At least not in the way people expected him to have, sexually speaking he did find them attractive. Though he didn't want a relationship that was based solely on sex, he at least knew that much. He wanted to feel that deep connection that everyone spoke of, the feeling like you can't live without that person.

It wasn't until he met Heiji as Conan did he finally understand everything with intense clarity. The feelings that inspired poetry of all kinds, lyrical, haiku, sonnet. Those sugar coated words that spoke adamantly of how beautiful love was, wasn't an exaggeration he came to find out. They were sincere feelings of people who had experienced not just the joys of love, but the heart breaking sorrows too.

He broke from his thoughts listening to the woman announce their arrival to Osaka's station. He took in a deep breath as he got up and faced the door, it was easy to pick out his tanned lover out in the very small crowd. He braved a smile as he stepped on to the platform and somewhere in the back of his mind prayed everything would be okay.


	2. Through the Looking Glass: Chapter II

**Author's Notes**: My first chapter was well received for it's "realism" it seems, I was really just writing from the heart, as all my fan-fictions are. I've lived a similar experience to the ones told in these stories so I understand how they effect people. Not just that person, but the people around them, friends and family mostly. The first chapter was showcasing a particular way of thinking, Shinichi's way, as he was contemplating his individual reasons. This chapter hopefully show cases the worries and fears that can develop from having a long distance relationship, and from having to confess to a dear friend what's going on. This is an overview of not JUST Heiji's feelings, but their rough beginnings as an adult couple, and how fragile love can be when it first starts out. I know it may seem like Heiji is focused on Shinichi too much but that was the point, his relationship is hanging precariously by a thread. Taking a giant leap like this is dangerous for even heterosexual couples, even more so for homosexual couples. I hope that this story is able to achieve this goal, I also hope that you all may continue to enjoy. I will eventually post the story behind telling Ran as well, so please continue to read.

* * *

The walk from the station was a quiet one, far from the "lover's reunion" Heiji was accustomed too. He and Kudo would often talk vividly on this trek back to his place, as if to make up for absent time. Even Kudo, who was a man of few words, would end up recounting recent cases in colorful detail. Heiji had to admit, with some guilt, he loved the way Kudo's eyes lit up looking at him with a child-like wonder. He understood that wonder all too well, as he'd hung on every word Kudo uttered.

Yet this time was different, even in silence it was comfortable, but now it was heavy and tense. He knew why, but he couldn't bring himself to mention it, he just wanted to be happy that Kudo was going to stay over on the holiday. Yet this was far from a vacation, they were taking a giant leap in their relationship even if it felt like baby steps.

He sighed out, listening to their foot falls on the concrete beneath them. Occasionally Kudo would ask something but the answer was often an easy one, and didn't advance beyond that. Heiji was starting to feel a little uneasy about the whole thing. Neither of them liked lying, but for him it was easier than being truthful.

He felt guilty for feeling the way he did, but he liked the way things were. He could stay friends with Kazuha, and they could continue loving one another without prejudice. Yet he knew the longer they hid it the higher the risk was of getting caught, and really hurting their close friends. He didn't want that at all, the last thing he wanted was to hurt Kazuha. Though they had already kept this secret for two years!

That couldn't be helped though, two years ago everything was very unstable between them. Things were starting to get back to normal, with Kudo getting his body back and returning to his normal routine. It put a slight strain on their already fragile relationship, Kudo had to catch up on missed school work, and had little time for much else, including him.

He recalled getting drunk one night and braved a trip to Tokyo, stumbling from the station he banged on Kudo's door demanding entrance. It had to be late, the moon was barely visible from Kudo's house, he did remember that much. Though his memory of the incident was foggy, he knew as soon as he saw Kudo, he broke down, crying and begging Kudo not to leave him.

He could still feel it, even now, Kudo's tender touch as he held him and rubbed his back, letting him cry his pain's worth in tears. When he was done, and halfway sober, Kudo assured him that he had no plans to leave him, but school had kept him exceptionally busy. Though this was a valid reason, Kudo still apologized to him. Despite his reasons, Kudo understood his feelings all too well. Heiji smiled softly at the memory, what an idiot he was.

"We have to tell them" Kudo stated, mostly to himself, but loud enough to break Heiji from his memories. It was obvious Kudo was in a similar state of mind, which was all too common for them.

"I know..." Heiji said as the smile slipped from his face. He felt sick every time they talked about this, sick and scared. He felt like his insides were shaking uncontrollably, as he attempted to keep the emotions subdued in his response.

Heiji chanced a look at Kudo who was looking at him, much to his surprise, yet the fear that filled those blue eyes left him heartbroken. Heiji attempted an encouraging smile, he tried to make it as sincere as possible. Though the unflinching fear plastered on Kudo's face told him, even his smile couldn't hide the fact he was equally terrified.

It wasn't long before they reached his house and settled in, eating supper in silence. The only noises that echoed in his small living room was the click of chopsticks and the rare bits of conversation. Afterward, Heiji stood at the sink staring at the soap suds of the sponge he was using. He slipped his hand under the facet as he started to scrub the dishes in the slightly warm water. It was in these tranquil moments, stuck in tedious yet mindless chores did his thoughts begin to roam.

He glanced out the kitchen window, he prayed tomorrow didn't have to come. The thought of tomorrow left him wondering what exactly he would say to Kazuha.. He had to get everything straight before hand, otherwise, he knew he'd be blubbering like a fool. It wasn't long before his thoughts took him back. When had he REALLY started feeling differently towards Kudo?

He frowned, he couldn't remember at all, he thought back to the times him and Kudo, as Conan, solved mysteries together. He remembered feeling exceptionally close to Kudo, despite his physical size. He loved how their minds functioned differently, yet they always reached that one truth. How they'd sit together, hands to their faces as they thought through a crime. How well they worked together to apprehend the suspect. Yet, was that really where it began?

He carefully put the bowls in the drying rack, once he'd rinsed them of their soapy lather. He let out a soft sigh, his mind working over time to grasp something that could help him pinpoint where these feelings began. He remembered all the times they talked avidly among themselves away from the girls. Time, place, and even other people, ceased to exist in those moments, sometimes morning would creep up on them, forcing them to reluctantly break and sleep.

A fond smile spread across his face, his mind racking over all the good times, and the bad times. They all seemed so precious now, it wasn't until his mind touched on a particular memory did the smile fade. He remembered now, when he first started to notice these feelings. He recalled Kudo staying over one time on accident, they'd exhausted themselves after a case and passed out on his bed.

He happened to awake early that following morning, the early rays of the sun caught Kudo's child like face in a most artistic way. He remembered being entranced by it, how the his skin, pale as it was, shimmered under the golden rays of light. Making little flaws, seem like little pieces of perfection, his face relaxed as he slept soundly next to him. He'd never forget it, that picture perfect scene. He remembered imagining what would happen if he leaned in just a bit to kiss those soft lips.

He chuckled, he should have known then, but he had to admit, he was pretty dense at times. There again, who wouldn't deny those frightening feelings at first? He wanted to believe so strongly back then that he'd find the right girl to fall in love with. That he'd join the police force, and do what every normal person did with his life. Though, the more time he spent with Kudo, the more he realized, that's not what his heart really desired. He'd spent so much time chasing an ideal that wasn't his, that he nearly missed the warning signs.

It was a scary thought, what if he never realized his feelings for Kudo where would he be right now? He explored the thought, he fancied he'd be doing exactly what he did on holidays, lazing around reading or studying. Maybe even chatting with Kazuha about plans for the following day, going out somewhere to enjoy the holiday break. He didn't really mind the thought, but he felt a sting of sadness in it too, almost a bit lonely.

He got startled out of his thoughts when he felt a pair of arms slip around his waist. He turned back looking at Kudo, he absently wondered if Kudo had been born from the sea. His blue eyes reminded him so much so of the ocean, when angered terrifying, but beautifully calm when serene. Kudo gave a sigh, realizing Heiji wasn't going to turn off the faucet, and reached to turn it off. Heiji blinked in the sink curiously and realized, the dishes had been done and he'd scarcely noticed, he kicked himself for being absentminded.

"I was wondering what was taking you so long, idiot" he said giving Heiji a flat stare.

"Sorry, Sorry, were you lonely without me?" he asked playing it off with a sweet smile

"Hah! Don't kid yourself! I just thought maybe you drowned in the dish water" Kudo said teasing him mercilessly.

Heiji gave a sad smile in response, Kudo blinked at him seeing the sadness well up in those green eyes.

"Heiji?" Kudo asked, he knew something was off.

Heiji looked at Kudo and sighed "...what happens to us...if...if things don't turn out like we hope?" he asked looking Kudo in the eye, searching for some spark of hope for them in the end.

Kudo blinked at him, it was then he realized why Heiji had been so quiet since his arrival. Kudo shook his head "If our friends don't agree, it's not a cause to break up" Kudo told him simply as if the answer should have been obvious already.

"And if they threaten to tell our folks?" Heiji questioned insistently

"Then we tell them before they do" Kudo said closing his eyes and placing his hands on the back of his head, nodding determinedly.

"And if that goes wrong?" Heiji asked flatly not liking these simple answers, giving Kudo an irritated glare.

"And if it does?" Kudo asked back evenly.

Heiji looked startled by the reply, he wouldn't leave Kudo over something like that. Yet, he feared being alienated from his friends and family, he wondered if Kudo felt the same. Kudo gave a soft sigh and studied Heiji gently,

"Heiji, if no one approves, then we just have to make the best of the situation. If we're not willing to go the extra mile to do that, then it's not worth the trouble." Kudo told him honestly "If either of us have doubts enough that we're deterred then, maybe this wasn't a good idea after all"

Heiji slumped against the sink looking at Kudo, the truth stung but that's what he loved about Kudo. He spoke the truth when it mattered, and he spoke it so well. He looked at the boy before him, he felt his heart swell and for a moment all his fears and uncertainties were laid to rest. He reached and laced his tanned fingers in Kudo's, marveling at the contrast of their skin color.

"I'm just scared, but, I'm glad you're here" Heiji said softly,

They stood, hand in hand for a while before parting to take their showers individually.

"Come on, just sleep with me!" Heiji begged, Kudo eyed him suspiciously.

"No, you'll try something perverted, I'm on to you Hattori" Kudo replied moving to go to his room.

Heiji reached out grabbing his wrist stopping Kudo, who looked at him seeing the unspoken plead laid out so nakedly in his eyes. Kudo relaxed and allowed himself to be led to Heiji's room where they laid down together, curled in one another arms. Coupled only with the stars that laid beyond Heiji's window, the moon no where to be seen.

Despite all they had said, Heiji knew that the future was the most uncertain variable in life. No matter what they said now, they may not feel like that tomorrow after everything was said and done. So, before that, he wanted to hold Kudo close, just in case this was the last chance he got.

Heiji relaxed into Kudo's arms, feeling Kudo here was enough to stave off his fears and doubts. The same must have been true for Kudo as well, as not long after, they dozed off without another troubling thought.


	3. Through Word of Mouth: Chapter III

**Author's Note**: While the first two stories focused on Shinichi and Heiji, this one is an attempt to show case self-discovery. When confronted with things we don't want to face, we sometimes realize things about ourselves that we may typically over look. Sometimes a situation forces us to see the wickedness of our ways, causing us to be humbled when we realize we're only human. Kazuha as a character was difficult to write for, her brash and selfish nature was hard to emulate. I hope that this story will live up to everyone's expectations, and I hope you can feel how Kazuha feels as well.

* * *

Shock and anger, were the two emotions raging through Kazuha at this point. She shook with the rage and cried with the shock of it all, as she sat staring at Heiji and Shinichi. She jumped up looking down at them, Heiji's mouth was moving but she couldn't hear the words. She grabbed up her things, and said something, but it was only stock and store as she left Heiji's home.

She ran for a good mile or so before she wore herself out enough to negate these conflicting emotions. She panted as she walked, her tears long dried, the scenery she often loved was distasteful now. She could still taste the soreness in her throat when she ended up swallowing the wrong way. It was all Heiji's fault too, she stopped and looked down at her feet. Staring at the slip-on's she was wearing, the memory behind them was a sour one at this point.

She shook with the memories of Heiji and her, the times she mistook his outward kindness for affection. The affection she desperately wanted from him was not that of a potential lover but of a good friend. For the most part she was angry at him, and embarrassed with herself. She could recount enough times she'd flush and got flustered with his smile and charm. How fast her heart would race at hearing him call her name.

She finally got half a mind to walk, as she glanced and saw a shop window, and looked at it. She looked beyond the shops inventory, and focused on her reflection. For the first time, she felt inadequate as she compared herself to Kudo, he was smart, kind hearted, and made Heiji happy in a way she never could. She took in a ragged breath closing her eyes to compose herself, she wanted to cry again but not in public.

She turned away from the window, she could hardly stand the sight of her own reflection. She walked, in no particular direction as she began to clear her head. The clearer her mind became the more she began to understand how foolish she'd been. She recalled them, times when she thought Heiji might like her in a similar fashion that she liked him. It was then she realized, those times could easily be take in many ways not just one.

She was so set on believing that Heiji had feelings for her, that she was convinced these friendly gestures had hidden meaning. She was so blinded by her own love, that she failed to see something much more important. She stopped along her random path and for the first time she realized, she hardly knew Heiji at all. Not because they hadn't spent time together, or because he had some secrets. No, she'd idolized Heiji to be someone she wanted him to be, and not who he really was.

She spent so much time behind rose colored lenses that she had effectively blinded herself to several truths. Heiji was a good person, and has always been an exceptional friend, not just to her, but to Ran and Kudo too. It was then that the real sadness came over her, as she began to sob quietly. This time, it wasn't for the loss of Heiji but the loss of time, time she'd lost building Heiji up to be something he wasn't and could never be. She felt the dread come over her when she realized that this time could never be regained, and would remain forever lost.

She moved as she wiped her tears, feeling the pressure on her heart slowly ease. It still pained, but it had dulled now when she realized how selfish she'd been, not just now, but always. How she'd selfishly demanded Heiji's time and attention all to herself, and never gave back half of what she was given. She'd write off his detective ramblings as nerdy, and tune him out until he was effectively done. Then turn around and expect Heiji to hang off her every word when talking about things he had no interest in.

Heiji was truly kind, he'd smiled and listen to her so intently, then recall it with clarity and a fond smile. He gave her his full and undivided attention when she barely gave him any of her own . It came as a shock to her when she realized Heiji didn't hate her, that only made her feel worse. She'd unknowingly abused him, and she didn't blame him for the fact that he went and found love elsewhere. Even if that "elsewhere" was with a guy, not to mention Shinichi Kudo of all people.

She could understand why other guys only went after her looks, her personality was severely lacking. This realization stung, for her to think so poorly of herself was heartbreaking, but she knew, it was all true. It wasn't even Heiji who had been victim to her selfish ways, upon meeting Ran she'd treated her poorly. She'd nit-picked at things like, wearing the same shirt at Heiji, when she knew, in the back of her mind, it was unintentional. She'd even forced Ran, through her bitching, to change into a brand new shirt at the train station.

She'd accused Ran of flirting with Heiji when they'd only come to Osaka to have a good time. She looked down, feeling embarrassed to show her face to complete strangers even. How she could have been blinded to these things, she felt as if she'd been speeding through her life. Mowing down anything and anyone that got in the way of her, friends mostly. She recalled several girls she'd once assumed were friends, then shoved them aside heartlessly when they got too close to Heiji. She had tried to eliminated any competition, to this it was plain to see. She did so becuase secretly she felt she'd lose to them, and ruined perfectly good friendships for it.

She sighed softly, all the time she spent making herself pretty on the outside she'd neglected to make herself pretty inside too. She finally came to a long stretch of grass and moved sitting down under the tree and leaned against it. Staring out at the lake silently, the sun shone off of it like crystals. So, what made Heiji fall in love with a guy? she asked herself as she stared out beyond the lake, she felt like it was abnormal, strange, even down right weird. What could a guy give another guy?

"AHHH! It's no use, I just don't know" she grumbled out loud.

"Know what?" came the sweet voice, she looked around quickly for the source and looked seeing a tall girl standing not far from her.

"Ah...I'm sorry, I thought I was alone" she admitted shyly.

The woman laughed, she had to be in her early 30's, with long blond hair that slipped through the fingers of the light breeze. She had beautifully deep green eyes that smiled down at her with kindness.

"I come here to get some peace when I'm feeling troubled, usually no one's here" she told Kazuha honestly as she sat down as well, her blue jeans hugging her legs tighter now.

"I wondered here, I...got some bad news and needed time to think" Kazuha whispered softly.

"Mind sharing?" the woman asked softly looking at her.

Kazuha couldn't explain it, but she started to spill everything that happened with barely a second thought. As if the woman's presence eased her heart open gently, exposing her. The woman listened to her with intent, and hung off the words and when she was done, nodded.

"I see," the woman said softly as the sat in silence for a while.

"You know...love is gender-blind" she started after a time.

"You meet that special someone and you can't explain it, it feels so right and sometimes so wrong. Though the heart can't be controlled with the logic of the mind, the mind can play tricks but the heart is always honest. Our hearts are ruled by our instincts, not by the standards society sets for us. If we force the heart to conform to these standards, we become unhappy, and humans aren't meant to live a life of sadness"

Kazuha listened to her words as they washed down on her like a warm summer rain. Her voice was soothing, with a slight magical ring to it that eased her troubled heart.

"Don't spend so much time comparing apples and oranges, their just not the same." she told her with a soft smile, Kazuha looked down at her hands quietly.

She realized what the stranger had been trying to say, she was so confused over what Kudo had that she didn't. She failed to realize that it was unfair not only to Kudo but herself to compare herself to him. They were after all very different people, not to mention separate genders. She smiled and turned her head up to thank the woman but as mysteriously as she came, she was gone.

She got up quickly to look around but there was no one, even the grass she'd sat on showed no signs of her presence. She walked up the hill and looked down the desolate street and saw no one at all. She turned back to look over the tree and lake, the woman's voice rang quietly in her heart. She nodded softly and decided it was okay to go back to Heiji's, to face him and tell him, it was alright.

Heiji blinked at Kazuha who stood at his door, he was certain she would never speak to him again. She'd rushed out so quickly, he could barely pursue her to stay.

"Sorry" she muttered looking down "For everything, for being so selfish"

"What are you talking about?" Heiji asked confused looking at her curiously.

"I took some time to think, and I realized all this time I was attempting to force you to like me. I was selfishly thinking of only me, and never your happiness. When that's what I should have been doing all along, as someone who claimed to be your friend." she whispered, wanting to cry again.

"Kazuha," Heiji whispered, it broke his heart to hear these words and see her fighting off her tears.

He reached and hugged her softly, she clung to him and lost it sobbing uncontrollably. Letting her love for him go, was so painful, letting him go hurt so much. Her only comfort lay in still hoping they could be friends and desperately hoping he wanted the same.

Heiji pulled her back so she could face him, "Kazuha, I didn't mean to hurt you, but I really want to stay friends. Your friendship is important to me, and, I know I should have told you sooner but..." he hesitated to say the rest and pressed on "things weren't exactly stable enough that we wanted to tell you back then"

"Stable...enough?" she wondered curiously

"Yeah, its...it's been really hard with Shinichi getting his body back and catching up on things. Not to mention our jobs as detectives kept us both busy at a time. It's only now gotten to the point where, we feel like this is what we really want, and we want you and Ran to be a part of that with us. We want your blessings, even if no one else would approve" Heiji told her gently.

She teared up again but not from sorrow, from joy, Heiji hadn't told her these things to hurt her. He'd told her about this because she was precious to him, and he wanted her to be a part of his happiness. For the first time that day, she smiled warmly at him, the anger had subsided, replaced by a strange sense of joy. She nodded softly, she wanted Heiji to be happy and realized even if it meant he loved someone else, she'd always be a part of his life.

"You owe me big time" she teased him with her usual flare, which caused Heiji to laugh in relief.

No matter what, least she knew their friendship would stand the test of time, longer than any potential relationship they may have had. She hadn't lost her best friend, she'd come closer to him, and now they were inseparably.

To be Continued


End file.
